Businessman Nicholas Lillios announced Monday the building his great-grandfather built to showcase Fords in 1915 in Cleveland, Tenn., will be converted into loft apartments.CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- A downtown landmark, built in 1915 to showcase Model T Fords, is being converted into loft apartments.
The announcement was made Monday at the MainStreet Cleveland monthly meeting by Nicholas Lillios, whose great-grandfather, C.C. Card, built the building on Inman Street to be near the railroad where new Fords were brought in from Detroit.
Card received a nine-county dealership district from Ford. One condition was the dealership had to have a modern building, so he bought a lot on Inman Street halfway between the courthouse and the depot.
In 1930, Card expanded to include a repair shop that faced First Street, extending from the back of the Inman Street side.
The two buildings, with a facade and front windows like the original one, soon will offer 14 loft apartments, Lillios said, and the buildings will be connected by a stairwell. Apartments will have one, two or three bedrooms, and parking will be on the street or in nearby city lots, he said.
They should be ready by summer, Lillios said.
MainStreet President Brenda Shehay said the apartments should help spark more growth in the area.
"It's my experience, and statistics prove, that retail and restaurants follow residential living," she said.
Meanwhile, next door another Lillios-owned building is being converted into a new bank, Capital Mark Bank, which also should be ready for summer, Lillios said.
The developments, along with other recent work, will stimulate still more enterprises, Lillios and other MainStreet members said.
Lillios said he wants to talk to Cleveland Police Department personnel about safety, since more people now are living and walking downtown, often after dark.
"We are going to have to be vigilant," Lillios said. "Just bringing people here 24/7 will increase safety, with more eyes and more cellphones taking pictures."
Contact staff writer Randall Higgins at rhiggins@timesfreepress.com or 423-314-1029.